Kurt Vile

Kurt Vile moves at his own pace, comfortable and on edge as singer-writer or leading a full band. Alone with a guitar, Vile croaks and purrs evocatively, landing somewhere between Neil Young’s On the Beach and the Nineties lo-fi folk sound. But he can also whip up a storm of noisy melody (2009's "Freak Train"), equal parts sharp edges and psychedelic swirl. This week's release of Wakin on a Pretty Daze is his fifth, and shows him stretching way out on the 9:24 title song. His Coachella showcase will only invite more of the same.